I have to be honest, I was completely unaware of the Canon Legria Mini digital camcorder until I spotted it at The Gadget Show. Canon describe it as a “Digital Creative Camcorder” and it’s very much designed for bloggers, artists and the selfie generation who want to record themselves doing what they love. It’s different from a normal camcorder as the Legria Mini is designed to be setup and used by the subject of the recording: the 2.7″ flip-up touchscreen is clearly visible by those being recorded and the wide-angle lens captures more of what’s going on. There’s a flip down stand on the bottom as well to help get the Mini perfectly positioned.

Obviously the Mini can be used as a normal camcorder and specwise, it’s full HD at 25p 1920 x 1080. There’s streaming to smartphones and tablets via wi-fi, with a complementary remote control app on both iOS and Android. Still photos run to 12 megapixels (4000 x 3000)

There are two variants, the Mini and the Mini X. The latter is a “pro” version with CD-quality sound, AVCHD recording in addition to MP4 and SD cards instead of microSD.

I’m sold and Eno gives me a demo at The Gadget Show. Available now on-line at around GB£200 for the Mini and GB£350 for the Mini X.

The Gadget Professor, Don Baine, checks out a forthcoming video camera from Sony which comes with a couple of neat new features.

This prosumer camcorder, HDR-PJ790 has two features that set the camera apart from the rest of the crowd. The first is that it has a built-in video projector, which will project both recorded video and video from an external source via HDMI. The second feature is gyroscopic image stabilisation, Balanced Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode moves the entire optical block at once, with the lens floating within the camera’s housing.

Jeffery Power spoke to Ben of Canon at the Digital Experience Booth. They talked about the Canon new R series of video cameras. They are part of the Vixia line. What makes this line special is you can connect them to your smart phone by Wi-fi. There are several apps that you can use, the first is Camera Access. It works on either iPhone or Android. It allows you to stream live from the camera to your phone. You can use it to control your camera from the phone. Another app is called Movie Uploader App which lets you upload your video to your favorite video sharing site. The Movie Uploader App is iOs only.

The R series has the latest image sensor built-in. There are 3 models in this series. The low end HF R30 has 8 gb of built-in memory plus a card slot. The high-end model, the Vixia HF R42 has 32 gb built-in memory with a card slot. The high-end model HF R42 suggested retail price is $499 and the HF R30 suggestive retail price is $399.00. There is also the HF R32 which is a flash camcorder. It’s suggested retail price is $499.

If you have ever watched a video someone tried to film from a vehicle you know how painful it can be because of the vibration. At one time the only way to stop this type of vibration was to spend hundreds of dollars on a Hollywood style contraption , not anymore. Delkin Devices is announcing the new Connector Bracket which is compatible with Fat Gecko Mini and The Fat Gecko Original. This will allow photographers and videographers to connect one camera, iPad or camcorder mount with a second Fat Gecko Original or Mini model. It can handle DSLRs and camcorders up to 8 lb. It provides triple and quadruple contact points, which allows you to attach a camera to any non-porous surface. The Connector Bracket has a slide and lock design which allows the camera to be placed at various angles and positions. Meaning if you want to attach your camera to the top or side of a vehicle and have an image that is crisp and smooth, this is the bracket to use.

The Connector will be available for $19.99 directly through the Delkin Device Website or at any authorized retailer. Delkin Devices has been making accessories that are built to make life easier for photographers since 1986.

The Canon Vixia camcorders have been popular with consumers and Canon have upgraded the range with six new models. Jeffrey Powers has been a Vixia owner for some time and chats to Ben Thomas from Canon to learn more.

Some of the new models have built-in wi-fi allowing live streaming from the camera to iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone. The footage can be captured by the free Movie Uploader app and, if desired, uploaded to Facebook and other video sharing websites.

There’s also new dynamic image stabilization technology that has four different stabilization modes that kick-in depending on the particular situation.

The Vixia camcorders normally record the AVCHD format but they can record direct to MP4 which is great for sharing on media players and mobile phones. The cameras take SDXC cards (up to 64GB) and have internal memory; the price determines exactly how much. Roughly, 32 GB will give 12 hours of 720p footage.

Sony‘s CES focus this year is on electronics, content and network services combining to deliver high quality entertainment anytime and anywhere. Supported by a slew of product announcements, new connected devices range from TVs, Blu-ray players and A/V receivers through to tablets, smartphones and PCs and on to camcorders and mobile music players. Sony is combining these with online services for music, video and game delivery, creating a great user experience (as they say). TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets are key to this experience as the four main devices used for entertainment.

“Sony is committed to designing technologies for every aspect of consumer entertainment – in or out of the home, on the go, in the air, at work, at play, or wherever life takes you,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “When these products are combined with Sony Entertainment Network (SEN), which offers innovative services like Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited, as well as PlayStation Network, the user experience is truly unmatched and only made possible by a company like Sony.”

The Bravia TV line has been expanded in all three areas; entry level BX, step-up EX and flagship HX. Brightness and contrast levels have been increased and picture quality improved with Sony’s X-Reality and Motionflow video technologies. In particular the latter helps to reduce blur caused by rapid camera movements which is often a problem with LCD screens. Sony is sticking with the Google TV platform with a new network player and Blu-ray player featuring Google TV. Certain Bravia models will link seamlessly to these devices to provide Google TV features directly on the TV.

Sony’s Vaio range of computers will continue to be updated with more entertainment feature and new designs that fit with consumers’ needs and increasing mobility. At CES, Sony will be demonstrating new technologies and prototypes for a range of technologies including glasses-free 3D.

In the smartphone space, the Xperia brand has done reasonably well, but increasing the smartphone share in North America is now one of Sony’s highest priorities. Sony Ericsson will be subsumed into Sony Mobile Communications and all new phones will carry Sony branding. The latest addition to the Xperia line-up is the Xperia ion, Sony’s first LTE smartphone coming with an HD 720p display and aluminium body. Also new is the Xperia S which comes with 3D image capture.

On the imaging front, no less than 13 new Handycam camcorders are being unveiled. A new image stabilisation system called Balanced Optical Steady Shot has been developed that controls the complete optical path from lens to sensor as a single floating unit. This reduces handshake blur by up to 13 times compared to the previous models. There’s a new camcorder model with a built-in video projector that has improved brightness and enhanced audio. The trusty Bloggie range now has a “Live” model which will live stream HD video over a Wi-Fi connection and there’s an unboxing over at sister channel TPN.tv. Of course, Sony has a bunch of new Cybershot digital still cameras.

Finally, it wouldn’t be CES if Sony didn’t announce a Walkman or two. The new Z series of MP3 players comes with an application interface and connectivity to both Sony’s Music Unlimited and the Android Market. Content can be played from Z series devices either wirelessly using DLNA or via HDMI to Bravia TVs. To further improve the audio experience, no less than eleven new Balanced Armature earbud-style headphones are now available as well.

That’s it – a quick overview of the products on show at CES by Sony and they all look like fun.

Samsung Electronics Co., LTD is introducing the HMX-Q10 camcorder at CES 2011. The idea behind the HMX-Q10 camcorder is too make recording movies as easy as possible, with the use of ground-breaking technology and smart features. This allows the consumer to record high quality videos with little effort. The HMX-Q10 is compact, easy-to use and affordable.

The first thing that you will notice when you turn on the HMX-Q10 is the Switch Grip. The Switch Grip allows the user to hold the camcorder any way they want and the G-magnetic sensor inside the camcorder turns the LCD display so it can be read at any angle. Easy Operation means that the user controls even the most detailed process through the LCD display including turning the camcorder on and off and operating the playback function. This makes controlling the device intuitive and fun. Recording videos is easy because the record button is placed prominently on the camcorder. The HMX-Q10 is thin, compact and light, which makes it something you will want to carry everywhere. It captures video in 1920×1080/60i full HD. It has an Optical image stabilization system which compensates for shaky hands. Allowing clear video even if you are walking or moving while recording. It also has a SMP BSI CMOS sensor that reduces noise and distortion. This helps if you are trying to record in low light. It also contains the Samsung Smart Auto scene recognition, which analyzes the scene for brightness, color, motion and subject and chooses the most appropriate settings for the creation of the best video. The Samsung Record Pause technology allows the user to pause the recording and then restart the recording without having to merge the files when finished.

The HMX-Q10 allows the user to choose whether to use automatic or manual controls. The manual controls allows the more experience user to control things such as White Balance, Exposure Values, Backlighting, Self Timer and C. Nite. There is also a new function called Art film, which creates special effects such as Time Lapse and Black and White. The HMX-Q10 is not only a great camcorder but it also doubles as a 4.9 Megapixel still camera. This means there is no need to carry a separate still camera.